The United States armed forces remain the most powerful military in the world trailed by Russia, China, India, and France, respectively, reveals the latest Global Firepower (GFP) index, which ranks 133 countries annually.

According to the GFP assessment, which echoes the most recent annual Jane’s Defence Budgets Report authored by prominent research firm IHS Markit, China and Russia together outrank their American rival.

However, the index also suggests that the military capabilities of allies the U.S., India, and France exceed that of China and Russia.

Facing a threat from nuclear-armed allies China and Pakistan, India has stepped up its game, joining the top five biggest military spenders in 2016 and remaining there the following year, reveals the most recent analysis of the world’s defense budgets by IHS Markit.

The top five military budgets include that of the U.S., China, India, Russia, and the United Kingdom, from most to least spender.

Military spending is just one factor used by the GFP index to judge the capabilities of a nation’s military.

The Global Firepower index for 2017 relies on more than 50 such factors — including the range of weapons in the arsenal, available manpower, as well as resources and local industry — to produce its rankings of the most effective armed forces in the world.

“Our formula allows smaller, though more technologically-advanced, nations to compete with larger, lesser-developed ones. Modifiers (in the form of bonuses and penalties) are added to further refine the list,” notes Global Firepower in a press release about its 2017 rankings.

The military assessments come amid a rivalry between the United States and two of the nations ranked by GFP to be among the top five in the world — China and Russia.

U.S. military officials have repeatedly identified China and Russia as America’s top rivals, recently noting that Beijing’s military buildup has allowed the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to challenge United States dominance in some regions.

Raytheon and the U.S. Army Apache Program Management Office, in collaboration with U.S. Special Operations Command, recently completed a successful flight test of a high energy laser system onboard an Apache AH-64 at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. The demonstration marks the first time that a fully integrated laser system successfully engaged and fired on a target from a rotary-wing aircraft over a wide variety of flight regimes, altitudes and air speeds. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army (PRNewsfoto/Raytheon Company)

According to the GFP index, America’s available manpower stands at about 45 percent of the population, but less than 40 percent is fit for service.

Meanwhile, there is a total about 2.4 million service members, including an estimated 1.4 million in active duty.

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